César Augusto Virguetti Pinto (17 June 1955 – 29 June 2021) was a Bolivian sociologist and politician who served as a uninominal member of the Chamber of Deputies from Cochabamba representing circumscription 20 from 2020 until his death from COVID-19 in 2021. He was a member of Civic Community.

César Virguetti
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
from Cochabamba circumscription 20
In office
3 November 2020 – 29 June 2021
SubstituteMayra Zalles
Preceded byVíctor Gutiérrez
Succeeded byMayra Zalles
Personal details
Born
César Augusto Virguetti Pinto

(1955-06-17)17 June 1955
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Died29 June 2021(2021-06-29) (aged 66)
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Cause of deathCOVID-19
Political partyCivic Community (2018–2021)
Other political
affiliations
Revolutionary Left Movement
Free Bolivia Movement
Children2
EducationHigher University of San Simón
Occupation
  • Politician
  • sociologist

Early life and career

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César Virguetti was born on 17 June 1955 in Cochabamba. He studied sociology at the Higher University of San Simón, where he began his political activity fighting for the recovery of democracy in the country. In 1980, during the dictatorship of Luis García Meza, he was a member of an underground student committee aimed at recovering university autonomy from the government.[1] A sociologist by profession, he later returned to the Higher University of San Simón as a professor at the Faculty of Humanities.[2]

From 1982 to 1984, he served as executive secretary of the Association of Promotion and Education Institutions OF Cochabamba. Later, from 1993 to 2003, he was the executive director and the city's Center for Research, Promotion, and Development. An active members of the Revolutionary Left Movement and Free Bolivia Movement, he worked as executive secretary of the Cochabamba Mayor's Office from 2006 to 2007. Additionally, he worked as a researcher and consultant for various NGOs.[3][4]

Chamber of Deputies

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In 2019, Virguetti participated in the foundation of the Cochabamba branch of the Civic Community (CC) alliance, serving in the front's departmental directorate. That year, he was elected as a deputy for Cochabamba in circumscription 20, though the results were annulled in the midst of a political crisis. In the rerun elections in October 2020, Virguetti achieved a second victory in the same district, winning over sixty percent of the vote.[5]

An avid environmentalist, he served on the Chamber of Deputies' Science and Technology Committee during his brief tenure.[6]

Commission assignments

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  • Planning, Economic Policy, and Finance Commission[3]
    • Science and Technology Committee

Health issues and death

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In mid-2021, Virguetti contracted COVID-19 and was interned at a medical center in Cochabamba. After over a month in intensive care, he had a stroke as a complication of the virus and died on 29 June 2021.[7] CC leader Carlos Mesa recalled that he was a "tireless fighter for democracy and human rights". Virguetti was married and had two children.[8]

Electoral history

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Year Office Alliance Votes Result Ref.
Total % P.
2019 Deputy Civic Community 87,780 64.65% 1st Annulled [9]
2020 Civic Community 95,917 66.63% 1st Won [10]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

References

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  1. ^ "Senado rinde homenaje póstumo al diputado César Augusto Virguetti Pinto". web.senado.gob.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Senators. 15 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Fallece el diputado de CC Cesar Virguetti, tras una dura batalla contra la COVID-19". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Presidente de Diputados lamenta el sensible fallecimiento del asambleista César Virguetti (CC)". diputados.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Deputies. 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Fallece el diputado César Virguetti". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  5. ^ Written at La Paz. "Un diputado boliviano muere tras 30 días en terapia intensiva por la covid-19". Swissinfo (in Spanish). Bern. EFE. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Luto en Comunidad Ciudadana: Falleció por covid-19 el diputado César Virguetti". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Fallece el diputado de CC César Virguetti a causa de la Covid-19". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  8. ^ "El diputado César Virguetti pierde la batalla contra el Covid-19 a sus 66 años". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Publicación de Resultados Nacionales: Elecciones Generales 2019" (PDF). www.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). Plurinational Electoral Organ. 2019. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Elecciones Generales 2020 | Atlas Electoral". Plurinational Electoral Organ (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia
Preceded by
Víctor Gutiérrez
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
from Cochabamba circumscription 20

2020–2021
Vacant
Title next held by
Mayra Zalles